The Philadelphia Water Department emphasizes the importance of public education about Philadelphia’s water history, current water infrastructure, and individuals’ connection to water. Providing environmental education and stewardship opportunities allows customers to play a positive role in the health of our waterways and watersheds.

Fairmount Water WorksAs PWD’s major public education arm, the Water Works transforms the way people think and live by making them aware of how individual actions on the land impact the quality of water for all living things. The Fairmount Water Works offers a variety of programming including:

Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education CenterThe Philadelphia Water Department has developed the Cobbs Creek Docent Program, a visitors’ services and interpretative naturalist training program for high school students at the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center (CCCEEC). After training, docents lead supervised nature walks, assist with special events, and maintain the gardens and grounds of the Education Center to ensure a quality experience for the visitors. In addition, docents lead walks and special events at Heinz Wildlife Refuge, Morris Park, Overbrook Environmental Center, Bartram’s Garden, Mt Moriah, and other locations in West and South West Philadelphia.

Water Use and Conservation

The average Philadelphia household uses about 154 gallons of water each day. You can save at least a third of that, or about $12 on every water bill, by repairing leaks and by changing some wasteful habits. Here’s more information on water use and what you can do to conserve.

Residential Stormwater Education

The biggest cause of pollution in our waterways comes from rainwater that runs across our rooftops, streets and sidewalks, picking up pollution. Big storms can overwhelm our pipes and cause sewage to overflow into our rivers. Learn what you can do to help reduce stormwater pollution.